30 May Do the Right Thing — What it means to me right now
I’ve had a VHS copy of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing sitting next to my TV, in my family’s living room, for as long as I can remember.Its particular relevance struck me this morning, on the heels of protests in response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. The fate of the film’s character Radio Rahim is as vivid as ever, just over 30 years later.It was 1989, and my (now wife, then girlfriend) Jeannie and I – having met in the Los Angeles area – not necessarily knowing WHAT we wanted to do, but knowing we wanted out of where we were, sought a dramatic change. Both children of immigrants (which might explain our wanderlust), having attended very diverse public schools that reflected our own diverse backgrounds, we knew we needed somewhere that would reflect that…not just any place would do.So, we...